How Do Hormonal Changes Affect Your Vision?

How Do Hormonal Changes Affect Your Vision?

One’s age has a major impact on one’s vision, clearly confirming the fact that old males and females have various eye problems that range from blurred vision, cloudy vision, near-sightedness, dry eye, farsightedness, to cataract.

Taking a closer look at the various eye conditions in young individuals, research has found that hormonal imbalances or fluctuations may be the underlying cause.

Hormones are believed to be drive factors for the entire body system as they regulate every organ function. However, much as every human being experiences hormonal imbalances at one point in life, women are major victims because of the various stages that they go through, such as puberty, childbearing phase (pregnancy), pre-menopause, and menopause.

These phases are generally controlled by hormones and there are higher chances of experiences hormonal imbalances.

Hormonal changes & Vision

Unlike males, women have to deal with hormonal changes every month. During the menstrual cycle, the ovaries produce oestrogen and progesterone, hormones that aid in the follicular development and the release of a mature egg. In case of a hormonal fluctuation, a woman may witness various visual disorders like blurred vision, watery eyes, and a migraine that causes interrupted vision in one eye or both.

PCOS, Hormonal Imbalances & Vision Issues

Women with PCOS, an endocrine issue may at times suffer from vision issues such as blurred vision due to PCOS treatment, mainly metformin. Metformin is a common drug provided to women with PCOS in order to control or stabilize the blood sugars and aid in ovulation.

Women using metformin for the first time may face visual issues since the drug aims at reducing the blood sugars and your eyes may find it hard to cope with the latest change. However, this is temporary and altering the dose can reduce metformin effects on your eyesight.

On the other hand, women who have been on metformin doses for a long time may face eyesight problems because of the reduced Vitamin B12 from the body. This condition requires immediate medical intervention to prevent possible blindness.

Hormonal Changes & Medications

A number of medications such as birth control pills, Chloroquine, antidepressants, antihistamines, among others, can trigger vision changes. Just as mentioned earlier, metformin, a common Type 2 Diabetes drug can also cause vision changes.

Hormonal Changes & Pregnancy

The pregnancy phase is characterized by a variety of body changes that range from fluid retention, swelling of the legs, to vision changes. During pregnancy, a woman’s chance of developing near-sightedness is increased, though scientists are uncertain about the actual cause. Similarly, pregnant women may also experience blurred vision, Intraocular pressure (IOP), retinal detachment, discomfort with their contact lenses, and vision loss.

Most of these onset visual issues, especially during pregnancy, PCOS treatment, and menopause are temporary, but can cause a discomfort that ranges from mild, moderate to severe. See a doctor to attain relief.